This invention relates to an apparatus for the itemization and check out of a miscellany of items which can be operated by the customer in a self-service mode with little or no assistance from a store employee.
By current methods, goods to be purchased by the customer are taken to the checkout counter where a store employee either manually enters the price of the item into a standard industry cash register or passes the item over an electronic scanner for itemization and totalling by computerized machinery. These methods are often time-consuming, causing lengthy lines of waiting customers, particularly at peak shopping hours, and requires numbers of employees to perform the service thus increasing operating expenses.
The present invention is a system for self-service checkout where the customer performs that service which would otherwise have to be performed by a store employee. This system, therefore, has the advantage of reducing operating costs, a savings which can be passed on to the consumer, and actively involves the customer in the checkout process.
Prior art devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,919,851 and 3,681,570 cannot prevent fraudulent substitution of higher priced goods because no means is provided for identifying the specific product. The present invention overcomes this problem by incorporating the use of uniform product code identifiers into the system. Further, prior art devices are susceptible to inaccurate weighings because no provision is made for determining where weighing begins or ends. The present invention provides a system of constant monitoring of item weight, individually and in the aggregate, so that at any point if the weights do not agree, an alarm is sounded and resolution is mandated.
It is an object of this invention to provide a substantially fraud-proof system for self-service check out by customers and which system provides a record of weight, price, and name identification of the items purchased.